Aftermath
by Irish Rose1
Summary: Following the movie plotline, this is what happened after Rafe returned from China.
1. Default Chapter

I made a point when I started writing my Rafe and Evelyn stories that it was to tell the story the way I wished it had been. I'm going to switch gears on this one story to follow the movie. There have been so many good stories written and a few that just didn't ring true. This is my take on what happened when Rafe returned to Pearl Harbor after the raid.

___________________________

He couldn't believe that Danny wasn't there.

Since they were boys, Danny Walker had always been a part of Rafe McCawley's life and he'd given it without a second thought to save his best friend.

He now understood fully how Danny must have felt when he'd gone to England and been shot down. He was absolutely lost and didn't know what he was going to do. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair and could feel tears flooding his eyes. His best friend, hell, his brother was gone and he was going to have to tell Evelyn that the father of her child was dead.

The transport he was on that was carrying the bodies of not only Danny, but Anthony as well was coming in for a final approach to Pearl Harbor. His stomach was in knots and he had the sudden feeling he was going to throw up. He stared out the window and wished he didn't have to go back and tell Evelyn. 

"Captain?"

Rafe looked up and saw Colonel Doolittle standing next to his seat. "Please have a seat Colonel."

"Thank you Captain." And he sat down and sighed. "I'm very sorry about Captain Walker son. I know you were friends."

A tear finally escaped and he looked at the Colonel. "It should have been me sir."

"It shouldn't have been anyone Captain."

Rafe thought about it for a moment before he confided in his commander. "You don't understand sir. Danny has a baby on the way and he needed to be here for that, not me."

"Lieutenant Johnson?"

"Yes sir." And another tear rolled down his cheek. 

"There is nothing I can say to make this better for you and I wish I could. But you did mend your fences before we went on the mission, so that should be of some comfort."

"It is sir." He sighed. "He wants me to be the baby's father."

Colonel Doolittle smiled. "That's quite an honor son. He must've known that you'd take care of his child as if it were your own."

"I will sir that's a guarantee. It's the least I can do for him."

"Captain, you seem to be forgetting something or should I say someone." He said quietly.

"Evelyn." Rafe said her name on a sigh.

"That's right. It's none of my business, but I'm going to ask anyway. Do you love her?"

"With all my heart sir." Rafe seemed surprised by the question.

"Even after everything that's happened?"

He'd been thinking a lot about it since the surviving pilots had boarded the transport for home and he'd had to face some facts. Evelyn and Danny had thought he was dead and had grieved together. She had told him she hadn't been looking for Danny and he _did_ believe her. What hurt the most he realized was not so much that Evelyn had been with Danny, it was that she hadn't been with him even though they'd had the opportunity. But that _had_ been Rafe's decision before he'd left for England.

Not for the first time did he have some regrets about going to England and leaving her just when their courtship was really starting. If he hadn't left her, the baby she was carrying might very well be his because they would probably be married.

But as his daddy had always told him, you can't look back because it's already done. What you have to do is look forward and make the most of it.

"Captain?"

Rafe gave himself a metal shake. "Yes sir. Even after everything."

"That's good son because she's going to need you now." 

"And I'm goin' to be there for her and for the baby too." 

"I wish you all the best Captain." The Colonel told him before he got up. "She's a very lucky girl to have someone like you."

"I'm the one who's lucky sir."

He returned to his seat and strapped himself in as the plane started it's decent. Rafe did the same before he looked out the window again wondering how he was going to tell Evelyn.

Colonel Doolittle was the first off the transport followed by Red and Gooz. Rafe stayed in his seat for as long as he possibly could before he got up. The Red Cross had come aboard to help with the coffins and Rafe made sure he was by Danny's side. He wanted to do this one last thing for his best friend.

When he finally got to the door of the transport he could see Evelyn standing at the gate, smiling. He couldn't smile back because his heart was weighted with grief. After he stepped off he waited for Danny's coffin to be brought down and he, Red and Gooz carried it off. 

Rafe saw the smile fade from her face when she realized that Danny was not coming out behind him. She grasped his jacket in her hand as she put an arm around Rafe's neck and she cried. Rafe had no more tears left as he put his free arm around her waist to hold her.

He had to leave her for a few minutes to load Danny's coffin into a waiting hearse which would take it back to Wheeler, with the others and he asked her to wait for him.

When he returned, he could see that she looked absolutely exhausted and put a tentative arm around her. She looked at him and put her head down on his shoulder as they walked to her car. "You look real tired Evelyn, I'll get you home."

"I'd rather stay with you."

He had no idea how to respond. "Honey, you really should get some rest."

Evelyn stopped mid stride and looked at Rafe, she looked stunned at the endearment. 

He hadn't realized he's said it, it had just slipped out. 

"Could we go for a walk? I'd really like to talk, I think we need to." She asked before she put her head back on his shoulder. 

"All right Evelyn." He agreed.

When they got to the car, she took the keys out of her purse and handed them to Rafe. He helped her to sit down before he went around to the driver's side and got in. He started the car before he looked at her. "Is there a place you have in mind?"

"Yes. I'll direct you there."

Rafe nodded before he drove away from the airfield and to the spot Evelyn had picked, so they could talk.


	2. Heart To Heart

Rafe stopped the car and looked out at the Pacific. Evelyn had requested that he drive them to the beach because, as she explained, it was where she would write to him while he was overseas.

That seemed like a lifetime ago and in a sense it really was because so much had happened to the two of them and Rafe had no idea what they were going to do now. He knew he still loved Evelyn, probably more now than when he did before he left her. It didn't matter that she was having Danny's child, because now that child was his.

He knew he had to tell her that Danny knew, he just didn't know how. "Evelyn, I've got somethin' to tell you and you ain't goin' to like it." He finally said.

"Rafe, before you say anything I want you to know how glad I am that you came back. If I'd lost you too..." And her voice trailed off. She wanted to kick herself because it sounded so cold and uncaring. As hurt as she'd been that Danny had not made it through the mission alive, Rafe had and she was fighting a war inside about that. Her first reaction at seeing the man she loved, because she still loved him so much, was to run into his arms for him to hold her and never let her go. But that wasn't his right anymore, it was Danny's.

But he was gone now and Evelyn didn't know what she was going to do.

"Evelyn, I need to apologize to you." His voice broke into her thoughts.

She turned to look at him. "What is it?"

He took a deep breath before he ran a hand through his hair. "Danny knows about the baby. I know you told me not to tell him but I thought that if he knew, he would live."

Evelyn started to cry and put her head on Rafe's shoulder as he put his arm around her. "Oh, Rafe."

"I'm sorry." He told her. "I'm real sorry."

"It's not your fault. I should have had the courage to tell him myself and I had no right to ask you to keep something like that a secret. It wasn't fair to you...or to Danny."

He didn't have the right to ask, but felt compelled to nonetheless. "Would you have told me if the baby were mine?"

She sat up and looked at him, knowing what the answer was. "Yes." She whispered and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Oh hell, Evelyn." He sighed as she put her head back down on his shoulder and he put his arm back around her. "What a mess we've gotten ourselves in."

She wanted so badly to tell him she loved him, but she also knew it wasn't the time.

Rafe wanted so badly to kiss her and felt like a heel for even thinking about it. She wasn't his anymore and the baby she was carrying was evidence of that.

They sat together in the car and watched the sun set. 

The day had finally taken its toll on her and she had laid across the front seat of the car, her head in Rafe's lap. He brushed the hair off of her forehead and he heard her sigh.

"Evelyn, you awake?" He leaned over, but couldn't see her face clearly in the dusk.

"I'm awake Rafe, just thinking."

"About Danny?" He asked as his chest got tight, afraid of the answer.

She nodded. "Yes, but not in the way your thinking, I'm sure."

"Did you love him?" 

She nodded again. "Yes, but not in the way that I..." She stopped herself before the rest of it came out. She didn't have the right to tell him that she loved him and it was probably the last thing he wanted to hear from her.

The one question that Rafe had hung over them like a black cloud and he didn't know how to ask because in the end it wouldn't change anything. It was also none of his damn business. "Evelyn, what happened?"

"Between Danny and me?"

"Yea. If you don't want to tell me, just say it's none of my business and I'll never ask again."

She sat up so she could look at him because this was something that needed to be said face to face. "If anyone has a right to know Rafe it's you." She sighed and looked at him. "We'd had a milkshake at the Black Cat after we ran into each other outside the movie house. The girls spotted us together and you know how rumors get started. Everyone was assuming that Danny and I were seeing each other and I decided that maybe it was time to get out in the world again. I stopped by the airbase one afternoon and we ended up in his plane flying over Pearl Harbor. Well, after we landed one thing led to another and we..." She stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. "It only happened the one time because I knew things were moving too fast. But as a nurse I should have known that it only takes one time and here I am."

"Danny really loved you."

"I know he did and I wish that I could have loved him the way he deserved to be loved."

Darkness had fallen and Evelyn was rubbing her arms in the chill of the evening. Rafe could make out what she was doing in the starlight. "It's time I get you home, the girls are probably worried."

"I'd rather stay with you." She told him.

"You know we can't do that Evelyn. You need to be home." He was adamant.

"All right Rafe, if you insist." 

He started the car and drove toward the nurse's bungalow. She'd fallen asleep on the way and when he pulled up to the front of the house he roused her. "Evelyn, you're home."

She opened her eyes and sighed. "I wish things had turned out differently."

"So do I Evelyn, but there ain't nothin' we can do to change it."

"I know that."

Rafe got out of the car and walked around to help Evelyn get out. He walked her to the front door and waited until she opened it and was standing inside. "Sleep well Evelyn."

"I will now that you're home." And she closed the door. Rafe stood there for a moment looking at the closed door wondering what he was going to do.

Evelyn stood on the other side wondering what she was going to do.

"Ev, are you all right?" She heard Barbara ask.

She turned to see Barbara sitting on the sofa in the living room and went to sit down next to her. 

"We heard about Danny, I'm so sorry Ev."

"So am I."

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" 

Evelyn sighed and folded her hands in her lap. "Tell me that it's all right that I still love Rafe."

"That's where you've been this whole time, with him?"

She nodded. "We needed to talk. There wasn't time before he and Danny left and he needed to know about things."

"Did you tell him about..." Barbara started to ask her, referring to the night in the parachute hangar. 

"I did. He had a right to know just as Danny had a right to know he was going to be a father. But I didn't tell Danny did I?" 

"You did what you felt was best."

Evelyn smiled at her friend and took her hand. "I didn't because I was a coward. He had a right to know Barbara." 

"You're the only one who knows that Ev, but you can't change what happened."

"When I saw Rafe the night before the attack knowing that I was pregnant, or at least suspecting I couldn't help but wish that I could have turned back time to the night in New York. It was so much less complicated because I was with the man I love and we almost stayed together that night."

"That's all in the past and now you have to figure out what you're going to do with your future."

"I know and I don't have a lot of time to figure it out." She sighed.

"You'll always have us Ev, you know that."

"I do." And she got up from the sofa. "I'm going to say goodnight now. I think a hot bath before bed sounds good so I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night Ev."

"Good night Barbara." And she headed up the stairs. 


	3. What To Do

Evelyn was still working at the hospital, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she would have to stop. She was still barely able to camouflage her pregnancy but she also knew that as soon as the Navy found out, she would have to resign her commission. And without her job and the Navy, what would she do?

She _could_ go home to Philadelphia. She'd written to her parents explaining the situation and the reply she got back was of deep disappointment in their daughter, but she also received unqualified support from them. If she wanted to come home they'd told her, they would figure something out.

Rafe had been home for two weeks and she hadn't seen him since they'd talked that night. Evelyn figured he didn't want to have anything to do with her because of what had happened between her and Danny. She couldn't blame him if he never spoke to her again. 

Something Rafe had asked her kept running through her mind. He'd asked her if the baby had been his, would she have told him? She hated herself for even thinking it, but she would have a lot happier if the baby _had_ been his. And she would have told him, just as she should have told Danny.

__

Well Evelyn, you can't look back. She chided herself as she got ready to leave for the day. Her feet hurt and her back ached and she just wanted to sit down and put her feet up. What bothered her the most, though, was that she wished she were happier about this. She was bringing a new life into the world and as much as she wished she and Rafe had created it, it _was_ life. 

She sighed as she ran a hand across her forehead, wishing she knew what she was going to do.

Rafe didn't know why he'd let Red and Gooz talk him into coming. 

The last time he'd been at the Hula-La, he'd gotten drunk on shots of Jack Daniels and had punched his best friend. It had been a hell of a shock finding out about him and Evelyn and once that shock had worn off, he was very hurt and really angry. The sense of betrayal from the two people who had meant more to him than anything was overwhelming and all he wanted to do was make that feeling go away. 

Danny showing up didn't help matters because he was the last person Rafe wanted to see. And then he tried to explain things and that just made it worse. He didn't want explanations, he wanted the son of a bitch to go away and let him drown his sorrows. But Danny wouldn't leave him alone and kept trying to tell Rafe that they hadn't betrayed him, they thought he had died. As he kept talking, Rafe got the sudden feeling that Danny was making him responsible for what had happened and that was when he blew his stack.

He ran a hand through his hair and had to stop the tears he felt coming. They had, as the Colonel had said, mended their fences and that was something that Rafe would always be grateful for. But it didn't change the fact that he had come back and Danny hadn't. 

He sighed and took another sip of his club soda. He couldn't stomach alcohol these days because it was too painful a reminder that he'd struck his best friend. It didn't matter that they had made their peace, he had hit Danny in anger and that was something he would never get over.

"Rafe, you all right?" Red's concerned voice broke through his sadness and he took a swipe at his damp cheeks. 

"Yea." Was all he said.

"I should have thought better than to ask you to come here. I wasn't thinking." He apologized.

"It's all right Red. It's just goin' to take some time."

"You've got a few people worried about you." Gooz told him.

"Daddy called again?"

"He's really worried Rafe. You haven't talked to him or to your mother since we got back from Tennessee and they really want to hear from you." Red said.

"I know."

"And what about Evelyn?" Gooz asked. "Walker asked you to be that kids father and you haven't done a thing to make it happen." 

"I know." He said again.

"Come on McCawley, what are you going to do?" 

Evelyn had changed into a loose fitting dress and had driven her car to the beach. It was a place she had always gone to feel close to Rafe even though the warmth of the sun had been a sore substitute for the feeling of his arms around her. She'd brought her journal that held the paper crane Rafe had made for her. It was where she had recorded all of her thoughts and dreams when she had met Rafe and her grief when she thought he had died. It also held her thoughts about her relationship with Danny. She had also found all of Rafe's letters and sat on a blanket that she'd laid on the sand and read them again. It didn't matter that she knew every one of them by heart.

She had made such a mess of things and wondered if they would ever find their way back to each other, or if she even had the right to want it.

She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice the letter she'd been holding had been caught by the breeze and had blown down the beach. It wasn't until she felt a chill that she looked up and saw Rafe standing there, blocking the sun and holding the letter in his hand. "You kept them." He seemed surprised.

"Of course. It never occurred to me to get rid of them." 

He sighed. "I burned all of yours. It wasn't right that I keep them when we weren't together anymore."

"Are you all right Rafe?" She asked him because he looked so tired.

"I don't know how I feel Evelyn." He admitted.

"Rafe, could you sit down please? I'm getting a kink in my neck looking up at you."

"Oh, I'm sorry." And he sat down, as far away from her as he could without sitting on the sand and he handed the letter back to her 

"Thank you."

"How are you feelin'?"

"I'm doing all right. The baby gets really active sometimes and kicks like crazy."

Rafe's gaze moved down to her rounded form and wanted so much to feel what she felt. But it wasn't his place.

She saw him look and she flushed. If this had been his child she would have had no qualms about taking his hand and laying it where the baby had just kicked her. She wanted so much for him to be a part of this and not because he was Danny's friend but because she loved him.

"You still workin' at the hospital?"

She sighed. "For the time being. It's just a matter of time before I can't hide this anymore and then I'll have to resign my commission." 

"Then what are you goin' to do?"

"I wish I knew. My parents have told me I can come home if I want and they'll help me." She told him as she put a gentle hand over the baby who had decided to really kick its mother.

"They know?"

"I had to tell them Rafe. They had a right to know they were going to be grandparents." _And Danny had a right to know he was going to be a father. _She couldn't help but think.

This he hadn't expected. "You'd leave?"

She looked at him. "What else can I do? I'm not married and I'm going to have a baby."

__

She needs a husband. Rafe said to himself and sighed. He knew that but couldn't bring himself to ask. It wasn't because he didn't love her, but something about it felt so wrong. He wanted to marry her, but it couldn't be just about the baby. It had to be because she loved him and he wasn't sure about that anymore. 

Something had to be done though, because once Evelyn couldn't hide her pregnancy anymore she'd be out of the Navy and on her own.

"Would you really go home?"

"It may be my only option."

He sighed and stood up. "It's gettin' cool out here, so why don't we get you home."

She wanted to tell him she didn't need to be treated like a child but resisted the urge. So she nodded before she put her journal and the letters back in her bag and gave a hand to Rafe to help her up. After he'd helped her to her feet, he picked up the blanket and shook the sand out of it before he folded it and handed it to Evelyn.

"I can see why you like to come here, it's a nice spot." He commented as he walked her back to her car. He helped her in and closed the door once she had gotten settled. He took a deep breath before he asked, "Would you like to have dinner with me Saturday night? Or maybe go to the movies?"

"Dinner would be nice."

He nodded his acknowledgement. "Six o'clock all right?"

"I'll be ready." And she gave him a small wave before she drove away.

Rafe stood there and watched her go. If he was going to propose to her, she deserved a proper courtship before he did. They couldn't pick up where they'd left off in New York, but maybe they could start something better.

At least he hoped they could.


	4. Courtship

Time had run out for Lieutenant Evelyn Johnson, RN, USN. 

The head nurse had called Evelyn into her office to let her know that she had to resign her commission. It didn't matter that she was an exemplary nurse, but mothers and the military didn't mix. She was as kind as possible in telling Evelyn that she had set a bad example for the other nurses by getting in the family way and not being married. She was being taken off duty at the hospital immediately and given the leave time she'd saved up and then would be discharged from the Navy. 

At just over seven months, she had no longer been able to hide her pregnancy and was starting to get some unkind looks and downright snubs from nurses she had worked with since she, Barbara, Martha and Betty had come to Pearl Harbor. It was no less than she deserved, she knew and thought that perhaps it was time to go home to her parents.

But there was Rafe. When he'd taken her out to dinner a couple of weeks before she'd had the strangest feeling he'd resumed the courtship that he'd started in New York. 

Being in the condition she was in and them not being married, he had taken her to the Black Cat. It was usually pretty deserted on a Saturday night, couples preferring to have dinner at the bigger hotels on the island where the big bands were usually playing. 

She couldn't help but wish when he'd come to pick her up that night that they could have had dinner at a swanky hotel like the Royal Hawaiian. If they'd been married, that might have been possible. But even if they had been, a woman who was seven months along didn't usually make a public appearance in that condition.

He'd called her earlier that day to tell her what he had in mind and would it be all right with her if they kept it a casual evening. She didn't mind at all as long as it meant that she could be with him. It was something she realized when he'd come home from the raid, that she could never see too much of him. He'd been gone all of those months and then had been shot down and she thought she'd lost him for good.

Six o'clock came and Evelyn was in her room looking at herself in the mirror, wishing so much that she didn't look like Dumbo. It crossed her mind again that if this baby had been Rafe's, it wouldn't have mattered one bit how she looked. 

__

Stop that Evelyn! She scolded herself. _You made the choice to be with him and now you have to live with the consequences!_

It was a battle she found herself fighting almost constantly since Rafe had come home because the farther along she got and the closer it came to the baby being born, she wished it _were_ Rafe's. And that was so unfair to Danny. He had been sweet and kind and helped her through an awful time after she thought she'd lost Rafe. He'd kept her from drowning in her own grief and self-pity even though he'd lost his best friend. He deserved more than what she could have ever given him and that was something she was always going to have to live with.

She suddenly saw Barbara in the doorway. "How you doing sweetie, feeling okay?"

"Do I look that bad?" She smiled and tried to make a joke.

"You look nervous. It reminds me of the night we went to New York and you told the girls about Rafe."

Evelyn nodded. "I remember that. It seems like ages ago now, doesn't it?"

Barbara also nodded. "Rafe's out there waiting, are you ready?"

She took one last look at herself in the mirror. "About as ready as I can be I guess."

She walked into the room to put her arms around her friend. "I know how hard this is for you Ev." And she let her go to look at her. "A lot has happened to you and to Rafe since we all left New York and now there's a baby involved that isn't his. I can't begin to imagine what you're feeling and I would never tell you what you should do."

"I know that."

Barbara took Evelyn's hands. "Let me finish. I'd bet a dollar to a donut hole that cocky flyer still loves you as much as I know you love him. What I'm _asking_ you to do is not forget about Danny, but put all the guilt and recriminations to rest. He was a wonderful guy and he did love you, but you were _always_ meant to be with Rafe. I knew that the first time I ever saw you together."

"I'm really scared Barbara. What if you're wrong and he doesn't love me anymore?"

"Honey if he didn't, he wouldn't be out there now would he?" She grinned. "Now get out there and just let yourself enjoy being with him. Let Danny rest in peace and move on with your life." 

Evelyn was close to tears. She felt as though Barbara had lifted a weight from her heart and it finally felt all right to let herself be happy. The guilt was still there, but for the first time since Rafe had shown up in Hawaii it wasn't as strong.

Rafe sighed. He'd waited almost a week for this and now that he was here, he was scared. Evelyn hadn't seemed very enthusiastic about having dinner with him and sounded almost relieved that they would be eating at the cafe. What he had really wanted to do was take her out to dinner at one of the big hotels and dance with her until dawn. He loved dancing with her and it was one of the things that he'd played over in his mind while he was in England. The feel of her so close against him and her weak admonition when he had moved his hand much lower than he knew he should have. He knew that he'd wanted to make love to her that night and that had been his intention when they'd gone back to the hotel but then he'd thought about it and what might happen. 

He sighed again. 

"Rafe?" He heard Evelyn's voice and turned to face her. "Barbara said I've been keeping you waiting." And she smiled. _God, she was beautiful._

"Ev." Barbara chastised her with a smile and looked at Rafe. "She's all yours Captain."

"Barbara!" Evelyn flushed as her friend left the two of them alone.

"Direct as always." And he smiled.

"To a fault."

Something was different Rafe noticed. There was a lightness about her that hadn't been there the last time he saw her and he began to really hope that she still loved him. 

Something was different Evelyn noticed. Rafe didn't seem as uptight as he'd been the last time she saw him and she began to really hope that he still loved her.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked. "It ain't goin' to be anythin' fancy, I hope that's all right."

"It's fine Rafe." _It doesn't matter where we are as long as we're together. _She thought as he took her by the elbow and guided her out the front door and to his car.

He found a booth in the corner of the cafe where they could have some privacy and Evelyn wouldn't feel so self-conscious. Her face had flushed a deep pink as they'd walked in and he didn't understand why until he saw some of the disapproving frowns. _Damn! _He shouldn't have brought her here.

She seemed to sense what he was thinking and put a hand on his arm. "It's all right Rafe."

He leaned close so only she could hear. "No it ain't Evelyn. Let's go."

She grabbed his arm. "No Rafe. We came here to eat and in case you hadn't noticed, I _am_ eating for two."

"That's a little hard to miss Evelyn." He told her and for the first time in a long time he grinned at her. That cocky grin that had always made her heart stop but this time though, the baby kicked. 

She gripped his arm and the smile turned to a frown. 

"Are you all right?" He asked her, worried that something might be wrong. 

"The baby just kicked. When you smiled at me, the baby kicked."

"Well I'll be damned. Really?" And he grinned again.

She nodded. 

"You really want to stay Evelyn?" 

"Where else are we going to go where I won't get nasty stares from people?" She said matter of factly.

"You got a point there."

She smiled at him as he put a hand on her back to guide her to the table.

After that, Rafe didn't seem to be so hesitant with Evelyn. They still had a ways to go, but he also knew that they didn't have a lot of time either. The baby was going to need a father and Danny had wanted it to have Rafe's name. The question Rafe still had though was, did _Evelyn_ want to have his name?

There was only one way to find out.


	5. Hopes and Dreams

Their regular place to go was the beach.

It brought back for Evelyn memories of a less complicated time, knowing that her love was alive. He had been half a world away at the time, but he _was_ alive.

She was coming up on her eighth month and began to worry that maybe she'd misunderstood Rafe's attentiveness to her. She wondered if she was wrong about his courting her and was simply being a friend. Every time he saw her, the baby must've been a constant reminder of something she's shared with someone who wasn't him. But she didn't dwell on it as she had before because it was water under the bridge and nothing could change what had happened.

They'd been walking for awhile. Evelyn had commented once that walking helped her legs from cramping, which they did on a regular basis now if she sat too long. So Rafe had come over to the house every evening and they'd gone for a walk. 

Her discharge from the Navy had come through that day and even though the girls had said she could stay with them, it wasn't really up to them. The house where they lived was for Navy personnel and Evelyn was not being given a whole lot of time to get her personal belongings together. It really had come down to the wire and she needed to decide what it was she was going to do.

She had told Rafe about it as they walked.

He had told _her_ that the squadron was being sent out on a mission in two weeks time and didn't know where they were being sent or when they'd return. The other boys who had gone on the raid over Japan had been given extended leave and when they'd returned, Colonel Doolittle had helped get Rafe assigned to the squadron. When Evelyn told him about her discharge, she wondered if she would still be in Hawaii when he got back.

Rafe's heart sank. He knew he had been taking things slow, but if he waited any longer she might be gone when he came back. He had enjoyed their walks even though he had kept his distance. He still wasn't sure where he stood and hadn't even attempted to kiss her. He wasn't sure how she would take it and was too afraid to try. 

The idea of being separated from Rafe again was too much for Evelyn and she started to cry. She hated herself for doing it because she had always considered herself a strong girl and to cry in front of Rafe was humiliating. But she couldn't help it.

Mama had told him that women got emotional when they were pregnant and especially when they got closer to their due date so Rafe did the only thing he could, he put his arms around Evelyn and held her as she cried. He hadn't held her since he'd come back from China and she'd filled out a lot since then. He felt her arms around his waist and she was holding him so tightly. And as she held him the baby kicked. 

If he didn't know better, he'd swear Danny was trying to tell him in some way to get off the damn fence and do something about Evelyn so that his child would have a name and a father. _I know you'll love the baby as much as you would if it were yours. _He could almost hear the voice of his friend tell him that and he knew the time had come to marry Evelyn. Not because he felt a sense of obligation to Danny or that the baby needed a father, but because he still loved her. 

"Evelyn, would you really go home?" He whispered into her hair.

She pulled away from him enough to look at him, but stayed close enough that his arms were still around her. "What else am I going to do? I'm not in the Navy anymore and I can't stay at the house."

He took a deep breath. "Well, would you consider marryin' me?"

This was the one question that Evelyn had hoped and dreamed for after Rafe had come home and yet was unprepared for it. Was he asking because of the baby or because he loved her? 

Her hesitation made Rafe mentally kick himself, he shouldn't have asked. 

She kept her arms around him and somehow found the courage to ask what she'd wanted to since they'd first gone to the beach after his return. "Are you asking because you love me or because you want to give my baby a name?"

He had to be honest with her. "Both. I love you Evelyn and that has never changed. It was a real blow to my pride when I found out about you and Danny, but it never changed how much I do love you. And as far as that baby bein' yours, that baby is ours and I swear I'll love it as if it were my own. That's a promise."

"You're sure about this?"

"I've never been more sure about anythin'. The question I have is do you still love me?" 

She wanted to smile but couldn't. "I've always loved you Rafe but it's a little more complicated than us just getting married."

"Hell Evelyn, I know that! This ain't exactly how we planned things, but here we are. I love you with all my heart and the idea of you goin' home tears me up inside because I can't stand the idea of losin' you again. Please, say you'll marry me."

__

He's the one you were always meant to be with. She could almost hear Danny's voice tell her what she always knew in her heart and she knew marrying Rafe was the right thing to do. "Yes." She said simply.

"Are you sure about this?" He repeated her question.

That _did_ get her to smile. "I love you Rafe and whether there had been a baby or not, I would still have said yes."

He smiled and then sighed in relief. He still couldn't bring himself to kiss her, so he kissed her cheek instead and she seemed to understand. 

For the first time in a long time, Rafe took Evelyn's hand and they walked together down the beach and talked about what they wanted to do as far as a wedding. "Well, I can't exactly wear a white dress and walk down the aisle of a church, can I?" Evelyn said ruefully.

"Why not? You can wear whatever the hell you want." He frowned.

Evelyn laughed softly because she began to realize that Rafe never swore in front of her unless he was emotional. It was something she found rather endearing. "Promise me that we'll have a wedding on our first anniversary and let's just go to a justice of the peace."

"You deserve a weddin' Evelyn."

"I want to be married to you Rafe because I love you, we can have a church wedding later." She stood firm.

"You really do love me? Even after everything?"

"Yes."

He finally got up the courage to lean over and kiss her. It was so much sweeter than he remembered and pulled her gently into his arms. He could feel her arms wind around his neck and the baby was wedged in between them. _Three peas in a pod _he thought and he held her and the baby as close to him as he could.

When he let her go her face was flushed a deep rose, but she looked really happy and wherever Danny was Rafe suspected that he was happy too.

"Are they going to do it?" Anthony Fusco asked Danny Walker as they sat on the edge of a cloud watching the pair on the Hawaiian beach below them.

"Yea." He sighed. "He was makin' me nervous there for awhile. We hurt him real bad and I was startin' to worry that he wouldn't forgive her, or me."

"Are you okay?" He put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Of course I am. I would never have admitted it at the time, but Evelyn didn't love me the way she loved Rafe. When we left on the mission I was real scared that she loved him more than me. She would never have told me that, but I think I always knew."

"I knew if you talked to them long enough, they'd hear you." He grinned.

"Daddy?"

Danny turned around to see his young son standing there. "Come here son. I want you to look at two very special people." He took the child on his lap and pointed. "That's your mama down there and that man with her is goin' to be your daddy. He loves her a whole lot and he's goin' to make the two of you real happy."

"I have to leave?"

"Soon, but you're goin' to have a happy life with them son. They're two of the finest people I knew in my life and you'll love them a lot."

"Will I remember you when I get down there?"

"No. But that's all right because I'll always remember you." He hugged his son to him. "You're goin' to like it down there son and they'll be real good to you. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Come on you two, Betty and Joe are going to meet us at the beach for a picnic." Anthony said as he stood up.

Danny finally stood up and put his son on his feet. He looked at his love and his best friend and smiled before he took the boy's hand and walked away.


	6. Three Peas In A Pod

Honoring her request, Rafe McCawley was married to Evelyn Johnson by a Justice of the Peace one week later. Barbara had been Evelyn's witness and Rafe had asked Red to stand in for Danny. Gooz, Martha and Sandra were also there and saw their friends finally married. 

The girls had a small reception for the pair at their house before Rafe took Evelyn home. He could see that she was fading fast and wanted to get her to bed because she seemed to tire more easily everyday.

It had been a scramble, but he was able to get housing on base for them and while he had stayed at the barracks that last week, she settled in. It was small as houses went, but it was better than the barracks and they _were_ finally together. 

They stood on the porch and Rafe grinned at his new wife. "I'm sorry honey, but carryin' you over the threshold is out of the question."

She smiled back. "That's all right Rafe. When we have our real wedding I'll expect nothing less."

"That's a deal." And he opened the door and waited for her to enter.

He followed her in and they walked around the house, getting used to it and to each other. There was such a sense of relief on both their parts because their worlds that had been turned upside down were righted again. They were where they should have been all along and they looked at each other and smiled.

"How you feelin' Mrs. McCawley?" He asked, his smile turned into a grin.

She flushed. "That's the first time you've called me that."

"How do you like it?"

"I like it very much Captain McCawley." And she sighed. "I'm sorry this isn't going to be much of a wedding night, but I really need to sleep now."

"Are you feelin' all right?" Rafe frowned. 

She nodded. "I'm fine really. It's just that the closer I get, the less energy I have."

He put his arms around her and held her. "That's all right Evelyn. I'll give you a weddin' day and you give me a weddin' night."

She laughed and held him to her. "That's a deal."

__

They were in his P-40 flying over Pearl Harbor when he did a barrel roll. Her heart stopped before he righted the aircraft again and as the sun began to set, flew back to Wheeler. After he landed she heard someone yell, "That plane should have been back here an hour ago!" He told her to wait for him in the parachute hangar and she ran ahead. They played cat and mouse with each other around the unpacked chutes that hung from the ceiling. She wrapped her self inside of one and when he found her he kissed her before he took her down to the ground, on a pallet of more unpacked chutes. She knew what was about to happen and she didn't hesitate as she put her arms around...Rafe.

Evelyn's eyes were suddenly open. 

She lay very still and tried to figure out why she would dream about that now and why it was Rafe and not Danny.

Her heart was pounding so hard she could swear she could hear it beating in her ears and it suddenly occurred to her why. It was the one time she and Danny had been together and had resulted in their unborn child. If it had been Rafe that night the child she was carrying would have been his and she realized that's what the dream meant. The baby wouldn't be his by blood, but it _would_ be his in every other sense of the word.

Rafe had his arm around her and had felt her stir. "You all right?" He asked softly.

She nodded.

"Bad dream?"

"No, just an odd one."

"You want to tell me about it?"

She nodded again before she turned to look at him. "I was in the parachute hangar, but I was with you and not Danny."

Rafe didn't quite know what to make of it. "Why me?"

"Because this baby is yours and Danny gave it to us."

"I miss him."

"I know you do."

"He was my best friend and it's been real hard not havin' him around. But then I think about that baby and as much as I wish it were mine, it is a part of Danny."

She put her arms around his neck and hugged him. "You're going to be a wonderful father Rafe."

"I hope so." 

"Danny wouldn't have wanted you to be the baby's father if he didn't think you would be."

Rafe smiled at his bride. "You have a way of makin' everythin' all right Evelyn."

"I hope I'll always be able to do that for you."

A week later, Rafe was packing his travel bag. The pilots were flying out on the early morning transport and as much as he didn't want to leave his wife, he had a job to do. She was so close to her due date and he was afraid he wouldn't be home when the baby came.

Evelyn shuffled in from the kitchen. She was still half asleep, but she had wanted to see him off. It had been in the back of her mind that she didn't want to miss another opportunity to say goodbye to him. So she had risen with him and made him a light breakfast of toast and coffee. That was all he could stomach at 5:30 in the morning he'd told her and she didn't press the issue. They'd only been married a week, but she'd adjusted so quickly to taking care of him and with him gone for who knows how long, it would be an adjustment again. "All ready to go?"

"I think I got everythin' honey. I just wish I didn't have to leave you."

"I know. But if we're lucky you won't have to be gone for long." She said hopefully.

He finished packing and zipped the bag shut before he picked it up in one hand and took Evelyn's hand with the other. They walked out to the living room and he put the bag down by the front door. He sighed before he put his arms around her and held her. "Thank you for marryin' me Evelyn. I just wish it had been longer."

She pulled away to look at him. "No regrets, remember? We agreed on our wedding night that we'd stop looking back at what's happened and start looking forward to the life we're going to share. I know you love me and you know that I love you and we have our whole lives ahead of us. Just get through this mission alive and come home to us." And she put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

He pulled her back to him and kissed her back. _She's really somethin', _he thought as he heard a car horn out in front of the house. He felt Evelyn's arms loosen around his neck and she whispered, "Be careful Rafe."

"I will honey, I promise." He whispered back and reluctantly let her go. He opened the door and picked up his bag before he leaned over and gave her one last kiss. 

"Thank you for marrying _me_ Rafe." She said to him. "I love you with all of my heart."

"I love you too Evelyn." And he was gone.

She closed the door after him and decided to go back to bed. When she got back to the bedroom she curled up on his side of the bed. She buried her face in his pillow that had the scent of his cologne and went back to sleep.


	7. And Two Became Three

The time had come for Danny Walker to say goodbye to his only child. But it wasn't with sadness that he let him go. His boy was going to the two people that had meant the most to him in his life and who had tried so hard to do right by him in his death.

Anthony had offered to come with the two of them so Danny wouldn't be alone when he had to say goodbye, but he declined. "I'm all right Anthony, really. I ain't sad about lettin' him go because Rafe and Evelyn are goin' to love him and take real good care of him."

"I don't mind."

"I 'preciate it but this is somethin' I need to do on my own."

He could see he wasn't going to get anywhere. "Some of the sailors are getting up a poker game later, are you in?" 

"I'll pass. Never really learned how to play, Rafe and I were always too busy flyin'." He smiled at the memory.

"Well, seeing as how we're going to be here for eternity there's no better time to learn."

Danny grinned at him. "You got a point there Anthony. I'll catch up with you."

"All right Danny." And Anthony left him alone.

"Daddy?"

Danny smiled at the young boy looking so nervous so he picked him up and hugged him. "It's all right son."

"It's time to leave?"

"It's time to leave, but you're goin' to have a good life." And he put him down on his feet.

The boy took his father's hand and they walked to the gates of Heaven. Saint Peter was there and smiled at the pair. "Right on time Captain Walker." He looked at Danny's son. "All ready to go?"

"Yes sir."

Saint Peter pointed to a spot just beyond the gate. "You can walk your son to that point and an angel will take him down to Earth."

"Yes sir." And they walked to the edge of a cloud where an angel was there waiting for them. Danny smiled and picked up him one last time. "Be happy son."

"I will Daddy." And as Danny put him down, the angel took his hand and they began to descend. 

Danny watched him go and a single tear rolled down his cheek. His son was a very lucky little boy.

Evelyn had been restless for the last couple of days. 

Rafe had returned the night before and it was just in time. She was two weeks overdue and had finally gone into labor in the middle of the night. All of her nurses training had told her what to expect, but as a woman who had never given birth before she was scared. 

Rafe could feel her tossing and turning through the night and every once in awhile lay absolutely still. Something told him she had gone into labor and didn't want to tell him. He rolled over to look at her and her eyes were closed in concentration. He brushed her hair back off of her forehead with a gentle hand and she opened her eyes. "This is it, ain't it?"

She nodded. "It sure feels that way."

"Do we need to get to the hospital?"

"I'd feel better if we did because my water just broke." 

"This kid ain't wastin' any time now is he?" He couldn't help but grin.

She smiled. "After making his mother wait for two extra weeks, he better not be. Or she for that matter."

Rafe got out of bed and helped Evelyn to sit up. As she pushed herself up off the bed, he got dressed and put her small suitcase by the door. He'd made sure she'd packed it before he left, just in case he wouldn't be home. He put in a call to the hospital to let them know he was bringing Evelyn and put in another call to the nurses. When he got back to the bedroom, Evelyn had gotten dressed and had sat back down on the bed. "I called the hospital and I called the girls and they'll meet us there."

"Thank you Rafe." She said and held out a hand so he could help her to stand.

She looked so tired and there was nothing he could do to help. She was on her own now and he would just have to wait. He helped her up and put an arm around her and walked her slowly out to the living room. He picked up the suitcase while she opened the door and they were on their way.

Rafe hated hospitals.

It didn't matter that his wife was here giving birth to a new life, it was still a hospital.

Red and Gooz had joined him after he'd called them from the hospital and Martha and Sandra had met them there. Barbara had pulled the night shift, but had stayed when she found out Evelyn was having the baby. She had come in with periodic updates and all Rafe could do was pace. He had no idea what Evelyn was going through and it frustrated him that he couldn't help her.

He had lost all track of time and it seemed an eternity before Barbara came in to tell him that Evelyn had finally had the baby. Rafe could see that she'd been crying and he panicked. "Are they all right?"

She laughed. "They're both fine Rafe and doing very well. Ev's really anxious to see you though, so come with me."

"Now?"

"Of course now." And she took his hand to pull him through the waiting room door. She let go and he followed her through never ending hallways to the maternity ward. It was dim and quiet and Barbara stopped at one of the beds that had a curtain drawn around it. "She's still awake." She told him before she turned around and left him alone.

He walked around the curtain and saw her with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. "You awake honey?" He asked her quietly and she opened her eyes. 

"I'm awake, just waiting for you. Sit down Rafe." 

He sat as carefully as he could and took her hand. "You look real tired honey. Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine Rafe and so is the baby. Did you see him yet?"

__

A boy. "Not yet. So we have a son do we?"

"We do."

The curtain was drawn back and Barbara had the baby in her arms. "Rafe, would you like to meet your son?" And she handed him the small bundle. He could see Danny in the small face, but he could see a lot of Evelyn too. "Have you thought about what you were going to name him?" She asked the new parents.

"I thought we'd name him after you." Evelyn told Rafe.

He looked at her and smiled. "Would you mind if we named him after Danny?"

She shook her head. "I wouldn't mind. How does Daniel Rafe McCawley sound to you?"

"If that's what you want Evelyn, that's what we'll name him." And they smiled at each other.

Life was good.


	8. A First Time For Everything

Rafe didn't know which he loved more, being Evelyn's husband or Danny's father. There were rewards in both and since the birth of the baby, his contentment had only deepened.

The one thing that tempered that contentment though was that he had yet to make love to his wife. She had been so far along when they'd gotten married and then he was gone right up until Danny's birth that they never had the chance. Since then, she'd been so tired from taking care of the baby even with his help, that he didn't have the heart to even broach the subject. He couldn't help but grin to himself that he'd gotten very used to taking cold showers.

If he thought Evelyn had been beautiful before, becoming a mother had made her even more so. She seemed to take such joy in the smallest things, whether it was giving the baby a bath or his bottle. He was a happy and contented baby and Rafe loved holding him in the crook of his arm, walking around the house talking to him. He would tell the baby about how much he loved his mama, flying, the Air Corps and about Danny. 

That was something that he and Evelyn had talked about more than once, telling their son about Danny when he was old enough. They couldn't decide what to do about it because both Evelyn and Rafe thought of the baby as his and they wondered if something like his true parentage should be kept from him. They knew it wasn't something that needed to be decided right at the moment, but had agreed to keep discussing it as Danny got older because secrets such as this had a way of coming out when one least expected it. Too many people knew about what had happened and they didn't want him to find out inadvertently from someone's loose tongue. 

But that decision could wait, there was another decision that had to be made. 

They sat out on the back porch one evening as Rafe was giving Danny his evening bottle. Evelyn was curled up next to him watching and silently giving thanks, as she often did for having her two boys. Her head was on his shoulder and she sighed.

That got Rafe to look at her. "What's the sigh for honey?"

She put her arm through his and sighed again. "Do you realize that we've been married almost three months and we've never..." She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"I know."

"I've been a terrible wife."

He tried not to grin as he kissed her cheek. "Evelyn, you just had a baby and you've been taking care of him. I understand that."

"Rafe, Danny is nearly three months old and you've never once even suggested doing anything about us."

He couldn't stop the grin this time as it spread across his face. "I was waitin' for you. You've been so tired and I haven't had the heart to say anythin'."

She sat up and looked him. "I wish you had because the doctor says I can now. He checked everything out last week when I went for my appointment and he gave us the okay."

That wiped the grin off of his face because this was serious. "You really want to?" And suddenly felt like an idiot for asking because the look in Evelyn's eyes told him everything.

__

Do I really want to? Evelyn repeated to herself in amazement before she smiled. "Of course I do. Why do you think I'd been putting Danny down early for the last few nights?"

"Well hell Evelyn, why didn't _you_ say somethin'?" The grin returned as he shook his head and checked to see how Danny was doing. He'd fallen asleep and Rafe looked at his wife. "He's asleep."

"I can see that. Don't forget to burp him."

"I know how to feed him Evelyn. It ain't like this is my first time." 

She put her head back on his shoulder. "But it will be ours." She told him softly.

"And don't think I ain't been countin' the days either." He replied as he put the bottle on the side table and lifted Danny to his shoulder. He rubbed the baby's back until he heard a small burp and saw Evelyn wipe his mouth. "Is he still asleep?"

"Like the little angel that he is." 

"Well then Mrs. McCawley, as soon as I take care of this little guy here we have a date." And he kissed her before he picked up the bottle, stood up and took Danny into the house. Evelyn took the opportunity to go into the kitchen and find the bottle of champagne that she'd hidden in the back of the icebox. When her doctor had told her she had made a full recovery he also told her she could resume a relationship with her husband. Evelyn smiled to herself. How could they resume something they'd never had the chance to start? 

She took the chilled bottle and the glasses that the girls had given to her and Rafe to toast on their wedding day back out to the porch. She had thought about taking them into the bedroom, but didn't want to appear too anxious. Never mind that she was.

When Rafe finally came back out, he was grinning. "Call me obvious, but I thought I'd find you in the bedroom."

She flushed. "Your not being obvious but I thought I would be, so I came back out here. Is the baby still asleep?"

He noticed the champagne and the glasses on the side table. "Yea. You thought of everythin' didn't you?"

"I tried."

Rafe picked up the bottle and she held her breath. "Trust me Evelyn. I ain't goin' to hit myself."

"Whatever you say."

True to his word, Rafe opened the bottle without incident and poured a glass each for the both of them. He put the bottle down and after he'd handed a glass to Evelyn, picked up his own. "What should we toast to Mrs. McCawley?"

"A happy marriage?"

He smiled. "We'll save that for the weddin' toast. I still owe you a weddin' day."

"And I owe you a wedding night."

"And this ain't it."

She laughed. "I hope not. I would expect something a little more romantic than this for a wedding night."

"Leave that to me Evelyn. So what do we toast to?"

She thought about it for a moment. "To us and to our family. It may not be the way we planned it, but we're a family."

He nodded. "To us and our family. And any additional McCawley's that may come along." He couldn't help but add with a grin.

"And to any additional McCawley's that may come along." she agreed with a flush. 

They put their glasses down after taking a sip and looked at each other. "I love you Evelyn and I hope you never doubt it."

"I love you too Rafe and I will always be grateful that I'm sharing my life with you." And she kissed him.

He put his arms around her and Evelyn's arms wound their way around his neck. 

They made their way into the house kissing, laughing and whispering to each other all the way down the hall to their room so they wouldn't wake the baby. When they finally got there Rafe and Evelyn McCawley were finally together, the way they always should have been. 


	9. Happy Endings

Evelyn was finally complete.

Being with Rafe had been more than she had ever expected and it had been so much better than in her dreams. She finally knew what it felt like to be completely loved and to be able to love in return.

They didn't sleep that night, spending it being together and talking. Some of it was about Danny, but most of it was what they wanted for each other and the baby. They talked about getting through the war and the very real possibility of Evelyn becoming a widow. They discussed their hopes for more children and where they might end up at the end of the war.

They were curled up together, Evelyn's back against Rafe's chest and he had his arm around her. She had her arm on his and held it against her. She didn't know when, but she had started to cry.

Rafe turned her over and had a grin on his face. "Don't tell me I disappointed you so much I made you cry?"

She cuffed him lightly on his shoulder and laughed through her tears. "You know better than that Rafe." She took a deep breath to calm herself and to try and explain what it was she was feeling. "I was thinking that I'm glad we waited until last night."

"Why's that honey?" He looked serious as he asked.

"It would have been wonderful that night in New York, but things happened to us that we'd never thought would happen and though we did end up together, it wasn't exactly the way we planned." She sighed. "What happened with Danny shouldn't have happened but it did and he gave us a beautiful baby. I did love him and I've never denied that, but it wasn't close to what I feel for you."

Rafe seemed to understand what she was getting at. "So it just made last night that much more special."

She nodded. "Yes."

"You're really somethin' Evelyn." And he kissed her.

"So are you Rafe." And she kissed him back.

It was still early that morning and as they lay together in the quiet, the baby started to cry. Evelyn started to get up when Rafe stopped her. "I'll get him." And he got out of bed and went down to the baby's room to get Danny. Evelyn moved over to Rafe's side of the bed and closed her eyes. When he'd been gone before Danny was born, she had slept on his side of the bed because she felt closer to him and she could swear the baby stopped kicking her.

"Wake up Mama." Rafe's voice got her to open her eyes and she smiled, her two boys. He sat down on the bed as Evelyn sat up and he handed the baby to her. "His bottle should be ready so I'll be right back." And he got up and walked out to the kitchen.

She held her son and could see Danny in his little face, but Rafe had told her he could see a lot of her too. In the end it didn't really matter because this baby was loved by her and the man he would always know as his father, Rafe.

When he came back and sat down next to her, she handed him the baby and put her head on his shoulder as he fed Danny and felt so blessed.

He'd promised her a wedding when he'd proposed, so on their first anniversary Rafe and Evelyn had a ceremony at the Hickam chapel. He wore his dress uniform and Barbara had helped her pick out a simple champagne colored floor length dress. She had felt funny about wearing white, so her friend had helped her find something she would be happy with.

Rafe and Evelyn's parents had come out for the ceremony and while Barbara had again stood up for Evelyn, Red had again stood in for Danny. Gooz, Martha and Sandra were there and Rafe had been surprised by the appearance of General Doolittle and his wife. It was very much an intimate wedding, but that was how they had wanted it.

Rafe could hardly contain his joy as he saw Evelyn walk up the aisle on the arm of her father. 

Evelyn could hardly contain her joy as she saw Rafe standing at the altar, waiting for her.

Danny seemed to put his stamp of approval on things when he clapped as his mother met his father at the altar and repeated their vows.

Sarah McCawley whispered in her grandson's ear and he smiled.

The moment they had both waited for, for such a long time was finally theirs when the minister closed his prayer book. "Captain McCawley, you may kiss your bride."

__

Life can't get much better than this, Rafe thought as he leaned over to kiss Evelyn. He could see tears in her eyes and knew they matched the tears in his. They had come such a long way together and it was all velvet from here on out. 

The minister smiled at them before he announced, "It is my pleasure to present Captain and Mrs. Rafe McCawley." And as they stood there, Evelyn's hand in Rafe's there was not a dry eye in the chapel. Including the bride and groom.

They met the small gathering outside the chapel and were told by Barbara, Martha and Sandra to go over to their house. As they had a year ago, the girls hosted the reception and Evelyn had given their wedding glasses back to Barbara so they could use them again that day.

The afternoon passed too quickly and it was time for Rafe and Evelyn to go. They had arranged to leave Danny with the girls for the night and they said goodbye to him and their parents. Before they left however, the General took Rafe aside. "I wanted to thank you son, for asking me to be here and share your day. Mrs. Doolittle was so pleased to be able to come with me and actually meet some of my pilots."

"I was glad to be able to meet her too sir."

"You've had a lot happen to you in the last year or so and I'm glad that you were able to work things out. She seems like a very lovely girl and obviously makes you happy."

"She does that sir." Rafe smiled.

"Your son seems to make you happy too."

"I can't imagine my life without him."

The General smiled. "That's the wonderful thing about having children, first you wonder how you'll ever get used to them and then you can't imagine not having them."

"If we never had children of our own, I could live with that because in every sense of the word Danny is mine."

"He's a very lucky little boy Captain."

"I'm the one who's lucky sir." And they shook hands as Evelyn approached the two men.

"Mrs. McCawley, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's nice to finally meet you too sir. Rafe's talked so much about you." She looked at her husband. "Danny's all settled."

"Well son, that's my cue to say goodbye. My wife and I wish you the very best of luck." And he put his hand out to Rafe, who took it and shook.

"Thank you sir and thank you for coming. It was an honor to have you here."

"The honor was mine Captain." And he nodded before he turned and walked back to his wife.

Evelyn put her arm through Rafe's. "He's a very nice man."

"That he is Evelyn. You ready to go?"

She smiled. "More than ready."

The drive back to the house was a short one and once again Rafe and Evelyn found themselves standing on their front porch. He grinned at her, "You're a little lighter than the last time we stood here in this situation."

"That's because I'm not eight months pregnant."

"Well that would explain it, wouldn't it?"

"Rafe McCawley, you're stalling." She laughed softly.

"Now why would I do that?"

"I don't know, you tell me."

He had the grace to flush. "You're right. When I pick you up and take you through that door, I ain't goin' to put you down until we get to our room."

The color of her face suddenly matched his. "You're not going to waste any time are you?"

"Honey, the way I see it is that we wasted so much time and I just want to make up for it."

"You already have Rafe. This last year has been the happiest of my life having you and Danny and it's only going to get better."

"I ain't goin' to argue with you there." And he finally picked her up and Evelyn leaned over to open the door.

Rafe grinned at her. "Now who is it that ain't wastin' any time?"

"I learned that from you Captain McCawley." She smiled and kissed him before he carried her over the threshold.

THE END.


End file.
